110 cops to join detective ranks

May 25, 2003

CHICAGO — The Chicago Police Department will replenish the ranks of its detectives with 110 freshly trained investigators in June. The officers will train for five weeks in the Police Training Academy before joining the property crimes, special victims and homicide sections, police said.

The promotions will bring the number of detectives to about 900.

The class of 110 is larger than usual because the department has not promoted officers to detective in nearly two years, police spokesman David Bayless said Friday.

Department officials have stated they want to see a more diverse police force, and the racial makeup of the detective division has been an issue.

The department posted a promotion list Thursday.

Of the new class, 65 percent are white, 13 percent are black, 18 percent are Hispanic and the rest are other minorities. Men account for 85 percent of promotions.

As of last September, 69 percent of detectives were white, 19 percent were black and 10 percent were Hispanic, with the remaining 2 percent other minorities.